A meeting by gunfight...

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

Er'in was not comfortable this close to the borders of the Sith Empire, but she was even less comfortable with the strange figures moving through the ancient ruins below and in front of her.

Generis was a beautiful planet, the Hapan had to admit that much, and the shadowy figures in their rough armour and significant armory - never mind the well equipped base camp sprawling out around the ruins - had no place here. Sith rebels, maybe? Ex-slaves? Alliance-in-Exile operatives?

She had no way of knowing from this distance, all she knew was that she hadn't come prepared to fight her way through an entire army, as as resilient as the Rakatan ruins were they were still ancient beyond belief, a full scale firefight could damage or destroy the structures.

She sighed and shifted position on the branch, she... wasn't very good at this covert operations business. She had not really come dressed for the party - although in the blistering heat of the jungle, her robes definitely counted as being dressed for the weather.

She wasn't here for the ruins - the Rakatan's had left so little technology or knowledge behind that she'd rapidly learned they were a fruitless source of the texts she sought. But during the fall of the One Sith (the second fall, before Darth Carnifex remerged to create the Empire) a minor Sith Lord had used this structure as a secret hideaway, and she was reasonably sure his holocron remained secured within. To petty for most, perhaps, but without access to her former masters resources, she needed to start collecting everything she could get.

She reached down into the smouldering embers of her heart and pulled the force around her, warping light with casual disregard for the laws of physics, then let the fire flow through into her limbs and lept lightly from tree top to tree top until she reached the upper levels of the pyramid, slipping in through a broken and warped crack that simply called to her.

The current inhabitants must have found the old Sith Lords base - or perhaps they were even his followers - either way, they would never know she was here.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]
​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

In the years that followed after the birth of the Sith Brotherhood that now stood at the helm of an empire, that itself had grown to be among the superpowers of the galaxy, Darth Avacyn had witnessed many following the example of those who had laid the foundation. They were the ones who caused the Empire's numbers to swell and made it what it was now, but where there was power, there was opposition. Some who claimed to be Sith had made the ancient Rakatan ruins their home, but they were no allies. Heretics, those who foolishly believed they could one day topple those who overshadowed them so utterly. Little did they know the Empire had them in their sights, and would deliver them to their end. The Emperor and the Triumvir of Strength willed it.

The sky above the ruins darkened as the form of a Star Destroyer reverted into realspace. Moments later shuttles were sent down to the surface, effectively surrounding the ruins to give those within it no chance to flee their fate. From it spilled Sith warriors, tasked with showing the heretics the superior might of their Empire in their final moments. Darth Avacyn was among the forces she commanded and through the Force she spoke to those who followed her.

"Their lives are hereby forfeit. They are an enemy of our ways, our beliefs, and our home. Spare no soul."

With the order given, the Sith Knights and minor Lords began their approach towards the ruins. Those who had called the ruins their home would stand and fight, however. From the entrances they emerged, standing ready to stand their ground and let nobody pass. Sabers ignited, a sea of red light emerging from both sides in the darkness of the night. A warcry was ousted by the heretical Sith, showing not a drop of fear for their invaders. Fate had decided that blood was to be shed, but not a single being wished for another outcome.

The sound of the first lightsabers clashing into each other filled the air to signify the battle had begun and Avacyn slowly pushed her way through to get into the ruins proper, her objective finding and eliminating whoever led the rebellious Sith. The progress was halted when a beam of red came crashing down on her, requiring her to react. With her own blade which she held in her left she went to block it, and with her free right she drew upon the Force to send out a blast of wind to push away the one who had attempted to attack her. He was not taken out of the fight, but it gave her enough room to rush through the entrance and make her way inside with a small group of her allies following closely behind. They were greeted with even more opposition, as was expected, but it was of the essence that their leader, or leaders, would be given no chance to escape in any way. They were surrounded, but nothing was certain until they were returned to the Force.

"Take them out, I'm pushing forward."

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

The noise of a very, very large starship exiting hyperspace overhead could be heard through the ruins, even down where Er'in was, beneath meters of ancient construction.

The sensation that rippled through the Force confirmed her growing suspicion that this had been a very, very poor choice of ruins to investigate. The bloody, raw edge of anger and wrath that spilled forth like a tidal wave washed over her, then seemed to merge with the dark emotions being given off by the inhabitants, like a match to dry tinder, the Force screamed in rage as the two sides met in combat above.

Er'in flinched slightly, then bit back hard on her own emotions. As far as she knew - and could feel - she was not the target here. Not that the Sith Empire's killers would likely distinguish between one 'rogue' Sith and another. No, the best thing to do was to leave quickly, and... no, damn it. She'd come this far, she was getting the damn holocron.

Abandoning subtle entirely she stepped around the corner and caught the final guard she'd been waiting to pass in a web of lightning, a faint smile crossing her lips as the woman collapsed screaming. Dead or dying, it didn't matter. Her pain was another push against Er'in's reason and control, another push she enjoyed too much for her own good.

She ran forward, then down a long corridor to the location where the renegade Sith had built his or her final lair. Her lightsaber penetrated the walls easily here, they were more recent construction and lacked Cortosis, sparks and molten metal flew as she hacked downwards with all the strength she had, cutting open a hole in the metal just large enough for her to reach through with the Force and savagely snatch the holocron from the dusty shelf it rested on.

Now to...

She felt the presence before she heard anyone, the lethal aura of a single person penetrating deep into the temple, heedless of defenders while the others outside took care of encirclement and slaughter. The Rakata would, Er'in thought, find this deeply ironic. But they were all dead.

The presence was between her and any exit - either the Dark Side favoured her foe, or the Force was paying her back for good luck. She never once considered her own rash greed to be the cause.

Nothing for it then. She turned, tucking the holocron into a small bag and walking back to the central chamber, where she was reasonably sure she and the unknown intruder - almost certainly the commander, and likely a Sith Lord or Lady, from the wash of power - would meet her.

She didn't feel overconfident, overconfident people generally don't. Letting her misdirections drop, she let part of her conciousness dwell deep in the banked fires of her anger, starting to give in to the swirling malestrom of blood and pain surrounding her. Overconfident or not, she knew she would need the Force to escape from, to bribe or to convince whomever it was ahead.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]
​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The heretics had been outnumbered from the start. While they thought they could hold the line, Darth Avacyn had already broken through the defenses while they were slowly being overwhelmed by the imperial Sith who sought to destroy them. It was only a matter of time before the last of them drew their final breath, and so her own focus remained soley on a cluster of three presences that led her to the central chamber of the ruins. What drew out her intrigue was the fact that one of them seemed oddly out of place here. Their signature present in the Force clearly spoke the language of the Dark side, much like the heretics who occupied this place, but much like how an accent made a language sound different, this presence was accentuated in a much different way. The remaining two were no doubt the leaders of the cult that had established itself here, a conclusion the woman came to judging from the power they carried with them. They were to be returned to the Force, but until the third presence had been identified she would reserve judgment on them.

Following the trail left behind in the Force, Avacyn found her way through the hallways and into the central chamber, where the aura of the intriguing stranger flared up preceding the actual appearance of the brunette whom it belonged to. With one unlit lightsaber in hand, the other still hanging from her hip, the Sith Lady came to a halt as they came face to face. The other two presences weren't there, but they were close, so there was little time to waste dealing with the situation. Still, she wasn't looking to make an unncessary enemy, especially considering the fact she most definitely wasn't with the cult, as well as the power she exuded making her a worthy potential ally.

"You aren't one of the cult. Care to explain why you're here?" Although said quite concisely, implying she expected an answer, Avacyn's tone lacked hostility. As she took inventory of the woman in front of her she couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity, but couldn't quite place why. She most definitely had not met this woman before, yet her appearance was strikingly recognizable to the redhead. Perhaps in time she could figure out why that was- there were more important matters to focus on first.

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

No, Er'in did not wish to explain why she was here, particularly not to the overwhelmingly self-assured red-head in front of her.

Still, she had not just attacked on sight. Which was an awful lot more than Er'in expected from the average enforcer of the Sith Empire's will. But then, this clearly was not an average enforcer standing in front of her - certainly not an overkeen Sith Knight or Acolyte.

It would have been nice, she thought, if the Dark Side had given her some warning on this. Or rather, given her a warning sooner than the thudding of danger that ran through her with every heartbeat.

Truth, or dare?

"I'm stealing the holocron of Lord Veradas, the last inhabitant of this place before these..." The pulse of danger thudded strongly in her temples, and Er'in shifted words with a flick of her hair and a smile. "...people."

She regarded the woman, then the memory came from her former Masters' intelligence files. The Triumvir of Strength, Warleader of the Sith Empire. That explained a great many things, funny, she looked shorter in person.

"I don't need to ask you why you're here."

The implied 'can we talk about this, or are we going to be very traditional' hung in the air.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]
​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"You got guts for doing something like that on your own," Avacyn's reply sounded, her subtle intrigue towards the woman present inbetween the words. She had quite the character to her, which not many had shown her since accruing the titles she carried. Unlike most however, the Sith lady could appreciate the fact someone would stay true to themselves in the face of someone considered a greater individual power. It always reminded her of herself and how it eventually brought her to where she was now.

There wasn't any time for pointless chatter, however. There was a battle to finish and that required the death of the two supposed cult leaders and Avacyn did not look to waste much more time until then. Even so, she did have a number of questions regarding the stranger and it was likely for her own good to not rush towards the exit quite yet. The skirmish there continued on and trying to leave the ruins at that moment would likely get her caught in the crossfire. The redhead moved over the brunette's second statement and instead continued on, so to not draw the encounter out any longer than necessary. "If I were you, I would stick around here until the cult has been dealt with-"

Avacyn interrupted herself when she felt a rush in the Force come over her, demanding her immediate attention. Turning her head she saw the two cult leaders making their rapid approach and with a shift in the Force serving as a warning beforehand a Force Push was sent out in an attempt to not only knock her down, but the stranger as well. In response she channeled her own strength, creating a bubble that was invisible to everyone but those who could see further than the material to protect the both of them. Afterwards she brought the lightsaber she still gripped in her left hand to life, a beam of dark red erupting from the hilt.

"Mind giving me a hand in this?"

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

There was something... intriguing about the red-head. She was not at all like Er'in would have expected a follower of the fanatical Sith Empire to be - her intelligence on the Empire, and on Darth Carnifex, was but months old and was complete as she and her former master could make it. She knew him, knew his acts and she found the idea of chaining yourself to him for security to be utter antithesis of everything she felt the Sith Code stood for.

But this woman... did not strike Er'in as someone who chained herself to the blind desires of a male...

Er'in felt the incoming wave of force and raised a hand to ineffectually divert it, then started slightly as her interlocutor effortlessly deflected the power around both of them, kicking up a spray of ancient dust.

So no, Er'in did not mind, as a matter of fact, as she surveyed the Master and Apprentice stalking towards them - both hulking brutes of cybernetics, armour and guttering hatred that could slaughter millions if given reign - currently aimed at what they incorrectly assumed to be a Master and an Apprentice in service to the Sith Empire, Er'in found it highly ironic.

She was also getting angry.

How dare these ignorant fools interrupt her conversation? What blind idiot wildly attacked with telekinetic force when clearly faced by a Sith Lord and - likely - her apprentince.

Her violet eyes flared, hot coals smouldered into burning flame in her soul. She hated ignorant brutality. It brought more danger to her than a thousand Jedi. Jedi you could reason with. Jedi you could trick.

All she wanted was ultimate power over the Force and physical immortality, not armies, not legions - not a dark Empire crushing the souls of the unworthy. She was prepared to pay the price. But was all that too much to ask? Apparently it was.

"Oh." She purred, her voice assuming a sultry tone somewhere on the level of a feline purr and a warning growl, her violet-black saber igniting as she turned to face the twisted, warped form of the apprentice 'heretic' (how you could you be a heretic of a philosophy?) and she raised her blade in the practice salute of a Makashi duellist, lightning crackingly back and forth across her free hand. "I'd be delighted."

Then, all hell broke loose.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

It was the intonation added into the voice of the black-haired woman at the face of danger that put one-and-one together and created the connection between this face of the present and a face of Avacyn's past. The resemblance likely meant this woman was of Hapan descent, and the sultry purr was strikingly similar to the one she was reminded of.

Many years ago, she was only known as Kaalia, the redhead had a friend. A close friend. She had helped her break out of her shell and embrace the Dark side, Kaalia trusted her more than anyone else. She was a manipulator, yet she was certain their friendship was no mere ploy. The memories that were brought back came with melancholy, though. If she had to go through it all again, she would've made the decisions that led to the end of it all as many times as she had to- it had brought her to where she was now. Perhaps she would've never gotten married to Ishana. Yet even so, it pained her.

There was no time to get hung up on that, however. That split second in which ghosts of the past haunted her was all they got and her mind was once again cast outwards to her surroundings. The two hulking masses of flesh and cybernetics came rushing their way, the presumed-to-be master of the two targeting her specifically. With his power and speed enhanced by his cybernetics he aimed at her with an overhead slash, a strike that would be foolish to try to block. Avacyn herself however found her advantages in encounters such as these in the elements in stark contrast to her opponent, and here she called upon her ability to manipulate the very air around her. Wind shaping could take grandiose forms, but it was the more subtle applications that often allowed her to gain the upper hand. Almost subconciously she directed the air around her to provide not the slightest hinderance but instead guide her movements, allowing her to move with an almost unnatural grace and sidestep the beam of superheated plasma that sought to cleave her in two. With the momentum in her favor now, she would turn towards the offensive.

With the stomp of her foot a small pillar-shaped chunk of stone shot upwards, sticking out of the ground behind the man. Avacyn then sent out her own lightsaber towards him in a jabbing motion to make him step backwards and into the pillar, while calling upon the second blade that hung from her hip to fly into her right hand and breathing life into it. Their fight was going to be short if he wasn't keen enough on his surroundings.

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

Er'in was momentarily distracted by the flash of introspection and pain from her ally - not the reaction she normally got, and she was reasonably certain she'd never met the other woman before.

But there really was no time for studying that particular thought as her opponent rushed her - without even the grace of a return salute, how crude. But his command of Shii-cho was good and while he relied too much on bulk and force to overwhelm a foe with fear, he wasn't exactly a foe to be ignored. Er'in parried his first attack with a cross parry, then leapt gracefully back to gain a little distance, letting him advance into a rapid low thrust that he deflected downwards, which left him completely open to a brief burst of lightning - a burst with strength in excess of what Er'in 'should' have been able to produce given her overall command of the force, a raw streak of burning electric rage that caught one arm and sent cybernetics sparking off-line and her foe staggering backwards.

She followed up with unconcious grace and training, a quick half step and a downwards cutting moulinet driving him further back and away from his master - better to split the two than allow two warriors who had trained together to fight back to back.

Then she was flying backwards through the air, the hammerblow of telekinetic force sending her a good distance across the room and likely cracking a rib or two judging from the surge of pain in her chest. Pain which, in the end, just made her fight harder. Rather than coming to an undignified sprawling heap, Er'in turned her unscheduled trip into a neat backflip, skidding to a halt next to Kaalia.

"I can see why you came for these two personally." She remarked, her calm tones not hiding the intensity of emotion in her heart.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Although Avacyn's attempt at bringing the hulking mass of a man off his feet would've worked against nearly anyone else, the sheer sturdiness of his body meant he simply bust through the pillar instead of tripping over backwards. A wild slash that remained in character of his Juyo form would force the to leap woman backwards and as if it was on cue, the stranger would land next to her. Her intonation and aura she displayed in the Force did not match, but that was one of the last things Avacyn was worried about.

"You're a talkative one," she said in a swift remark while not taking her eyes off of her direct opponent. "Reminds me of someone I knew." While saying that the redhead had already begun closing the distance with the man, but before stepping into the range of his lightsaber she channeled the Force to let the air propel her upwards, while she linked her individual hilts together to form a saberstaff. Holding the unified weapon in her left she used her free hand to send a blast of wind towards him, even though she knew that it wouldn't be enough to knock him over. Instead, it would act as fuel to the fire.

Literal fire.

A burst of flame ignited and shot outwards from her palm and before he had the chance to react it spread through the flow of wind, creating a large ball of fire that enveloped the cult's leader entirely. While his flesh burned and the cybernetics became smoldering hot, some parts even beginning to melt, he screamed in agony but still looked to push through it all. Avacyn landed and watched the somewhat stumbling figure of the man charge towards her, but his focus was gone. That would be his undoing.

The woman allowed him to try to strike out at her, but it no longer possessed the brute strength from before. With both hands firmly gripping the long hilt of her saberstaff, she parried with one blade. Then, a pivot to adjust her angle. Then, a stabbing motion with the other blade.

As it punctured his heart, Darth Avacyn looked directly into his eyes. The moment it was over the emotion that fueled her vanished, sending a clear message to the one she had opened the door for to return to the Force- their fight was over. The blade that pierced through him retracted into the hilt and while the life left his body, one of the final remaining heretics that had made these ruins their home collapsed onto the ground.

Without much of a delay, the Sith Lady turned her head to check on how the fight between the other two proceeded. If necessary, she would step in.

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

(music)​

​

A bolt of lightning arced across the wall of the chamber, chasing Er'in's opponent as he sprinted between columns, seeking to gain the high ground on her as she leapt nimbly to follow.

"Well, these gentlemen seem to have forgotten the art of conversation. But I'm fairly sure that it's not dead yet."

Er'in had no idea who she might remind her ally of, and very little time to put much thought into that particular matter. Red and purple clashed as her opponent hurled himself at her again, ignoring the arcing electricity that wrapped around his armoured arm. Of course it was insulated. Er'in grunted loudly as she was forced into saber lock, then overpowered and flung backward, flipping neatly in the air as she came down and landing on her feet.

From behind her there was a roar of flame, which was curious, but Er'in could feel the fire twisting the Force and the shift in the balance of the Dark Side turn in the favour of her and her ally. She sprang forward, backlit by the explosion of flame that immolated the master, a sharp flurry of staccato strikes against the apprentice sending him backpedalling. Sloppy footwork. She dropped one strike low, stepped out of line and watched her opponent nearly trip over his own feet as he moved to parry.

*CRACK*

Er'in staggered back as the telekinetic wave of force struck her square in the chest - something she was prepared for on this occasion, but enough to cause her to cough up a single drop of blood.

She stared as it spun through the air, glistening and hot, then splattered on the ground. For a moment, she was sure she could see herself reflected in the droplet - which was impossible, given how small it was.

Now she was annoyed.

She drew back, snapping out words of ancient sith that shattered the air and warped space with their intensity, words of power. It would take too long to perform a conventional incantation, even here. Her opponent knew it and he leapt towards her with hatred and the scent of victory in his eyes, perhaps if he could just...

The apprentice's form was caught in web of darkness and pain, his scream echoing around the chamber as it cut his form into bloody ruin, nothing more than a hail of blood and meat splashing across Er'in as she stood, one bloody palm extended, across her stomach brutal, ragged claws from her own nails where she had drawn her own blood, the sharp, supposedly decorative adornments drawing pain and blood from her own body, which Er'in used to empower the spell far faster than a conventional Sorceror might be expected to do.

She smirked, then turned with elegant grace - apparently uncaring of the mess she'd made and ignorant or pleased by the pain of her wounds, regarding her ally with caution as silence filled the chamber again.

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

What Avacyn saw when she did turn around to check on the other duel that had been taking place was most definitely something she had not seen before. It caused no more than mild surprise to rise up within her though, she had seen more than enough to know full well that the Force itself truly was infinite, even if the ones who could wield it were not. Different souls connected to it in different ways and this was a very potent method indeed, the woman concluded as she observed the markings through the Force to see what they were truly for. Mere moments later the apprentice of the one she herself had only just killed met the same fate, though it looked much more brutal than how his master went. Bits of blood and gore that came her way were shielded off much in the same way as the Force push that had started the fight, ending it the same way it started.

They always say the pretty ones are the most brutal.

"I suppose a thank you for your assistance is in order," Avacyn said with a surprisingly calm tone, as though she was talking to any other person not covered in blood and viscera. She had been among the Sith for a long time now, which had made her desensitized to the more harrowing displays of the Dark side. Before she could continue however her holocommunicator buzzed, interrupting what she was about to say. "My apologies." As it laid in the palm of her hand a figure of a woman projected out of it. "Do keep it short, I am already occupied at the moment."

"Of course, lady Avacyn. I can report that we have combed through the entirety of the ruins and the last remaining cultists have been culled."

"Excellent. Search for any items of significance to return home and return to the ship. I shall join you later."

"Understood, milady. We shall keep a shuttle waiting for you."

Avacyn stored the disk-shaped item away, then returned her attention back to the mysterious woman. "Once again, I apologize for the interruption. Allow me to introduce myself- I am Darth Avacyn, Lady of the Sith and Triumvir of Strength of the Sith Empire." The name Kaalia was reserved for those who knew her personally.

"I must say that I was most impressed by your mastery over the Force. May I ask for your name?" She hoped to uncover more about the woman than just her name before leaving, though. There was something intriguing about her.

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

"Pelin’a Er'in Tenel of Hapes, Knight of the Sith." Formerly, neither were true - no Master appointed her a Knight and the Queen Mother had been cagy about naming any heir, but titles were meaningless trappings - useful for indication only, with one exception - that of Darth, and this woman had that title, so it paid to be polite. "A surprise and... an honour to meet you, Darth Avacyn."

Some explaination was probably in order, if she wanted to appease this warrior-sith, for even without the title of Darth, the other was clearly her superior in combat and while Er'in could think of several ways to deal with a legion of Empire lackeys, the Star Destroyer would require a bit more ritual energy than she had on hand, and a good chance of exploding herself in the process.

Exploding herself further. Hapes had taught her the first mistep.

"I studied under the man who now calls himself Darth Metus, part of an... experiment he dallied in with creating Dark Force users, I and one other are the only survivors that I know of - you must have heard of Sirina Talon, my... well, adopted possibly ex-sister? I... parted ways with my Master due to philsophical disagreements on the Sith Code, the organisation of the CIS and his daughter, Selendis."

She gestured around herself as she tucked her lightsaber on her belt.

"I mostly kept to myself in tombs and libraries before then, from my notes, this seemed like an easy mark. This holocron isn't reputed to contain much of value, but you never know what a Dark Lord keeps to themselves..." She trailed off, suddenly aware she was speaking to an actual Dark Lord. "... so to speak."

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

It seemed the woman had quite the interesting history to her. The things she had shown to be capable of made more sense now with the knowledge she had given, although Avacyn wouldn't immediately assume that and the experiments to be directly linked until she heard it directly from the source. What was equally interesting was the fact she had ties to the Confederacy- it hadn't been too long ago since the non-aggression pact the Sith Empire had entered into with them, but a direct alliance it was not. Avacyn had no obligation to do much of anything if it turned out she was wanted there for any reason. Because of this, there were no barriers in the political sense to make her an offer if she seemed privy to it.

"You had friends in high places, then," Avacyn remarked in a more casual manner now that the introductions were out of the way. "I indeed know of both Darth Metus and lady Talon. I won't pry further on what happened that caused you to part ways with them, though. You have your reasons, and I can respect that." Those matters were intriguing, but apart from the experiment Er'in had mentioned her previous affiliations mattered little in the present day. What was of relevance was the fact she appeared to have none at the present moment.

She looked over Er'in once again, more specifically the blood and gore she was still covered in. "We all keep something to ourselves, Sith lords and ladies are no exception." The redhead was in fact quite amused by the way Er'in had chosen her words instead of the contrary that the brunette seemed to have expected. "Considering how you were of great help dealing with these cultists, allow me to invite you to get yourself cleaned up in my quarters on the Star Destroyer. There's an offer I'd like to make to you on behalf of the Sith Empire, if you are willing to hear me out."

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Generis, Rakatan Ruins​

​

Er'in considered the offer, a pause in the conversation of ten seconds or more while she let all the scenarios play out.

If she went... then this was an opening into the Sith Empire, and while she had approximately zero loyalty to their concept of a unified Sith, she was not exactly welcome anywhere else. They might brainwash her, or torture her, or take her property... but the Dragonflower was far from here, along with it's secrets and there was a very small chance they'd kill her. Anything else she could recover from, given time and the Force.

So then, did she want - or need - an offer from the Sith Empire?

No.

But she was curious to hear what it was and she did want to speak to Sith who were... like this woman and by reputation, the Empire contained a number. Not caring what the Emperor wanted or for the fist of temporal power did not mean she could not carve out a niche. It wasn't as if she opposed his objectives... even when they came into conflict with hers, her pride didn't quite let her consider herself his equal.

She nodded with a smile.

"It would be rude to refuse such an offer, I accept."

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The acceptance the offer was received with a content nod, glad that the woman was willing to at least lend a listening ear. "Thank you," Avacyn responded as she brought up her holocommunicator again, the same woman as last time returning to view a few moments later.

"Milady," she said, "what can I assist you with?"

"I am heading back and have got a guest with me. Prepare a change of clothes for her and make sure she can get refreshed. Also, we will be speaking in private. We are not to be disturbed during that time."

"Of course, milady. Your transport will be waiting. Anything else?"

"That is it. We will discuss our finding about these ruins later. We will speak again then."

The holocommunicator was stored away for a second time before Avacyn turned around towards the body of the man she had killed only minutes ago, closing the distance between her and it and kneeling down next to the lightsaber that had rolled away from his hand a short distance to pick it up. "I keep trophies," she gave as an answer to a question that was never asked. Afterwards she stood back up, looked at Er'in, and began to walk towards where she had entered the ruins.

"While we walk, I want to ask you something. If you don't mind, of course." The woman continued to look ahead as she walked. "And do not be afraid to offend. I have asked this question to many in the past, even Jedi. It is something I ask out of a fascination for philosophy." Most of those Jedi were no longer alive, but their answers had not affected their fate. "Why do you think the ones who are with the Brotherhood of the Sith, the rulers of the Sith Empire, stand with the Dark Lord and emperor?"

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Er'in considered the question as she followed Darth Avacyn out through the temple.

"That's a broad question, that would be akin to asking why the Jedi are fractured and weak, or why people willingly follow Darth Metus - a man who is steeped in the Dark Side, yet proclaims protection through interdependence."

She replied thoughtfully, her answer carefully spoken despite the request to be unafraid - perhaps she was not afraid, but caution is not fear.

"Mutual protection, a ready source of temporal power, a ready source of otherwise difficult to find lore, a sense of persecution by the galaxy, a genuine desire to see a Sith Empire rise and eclipse the light forever, belief in his status as the Sith'ari God-King, philosophical agreement, fear or personal necessity all leap to mind. The collapse of this iteration of the One Sith was not exactly stable, and there is much to be said for not being a lone warlord, particularly if you publically disagree with an Emperor with a fleet at his disposal, while there is benefit from acting within the broad constraints he offers - if you can tolerate those, or the Sith Empire's particular political stance on numerous issues."

She shrugs.

"You do not have to understand the Sith Code to become a Sith Lord, history is pretty clear in that regard. You're one of two I've had occasion to speak to and the other - Darth Metus - does not understand what it means to be Sith. To embrace the Dark Side via his own means, yes. But not to be Sith. Which is why he mistook me."

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]​

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The political answer is what Er'in gave. By now, Avacyn had long gotten used to being spoken to with a filter created by caution and this definitely wasn't the first time some maneuvering was required to get the person to reveal the full picture. That didn't mean what she already said was of no value, however. She wasn't necessarily wrong on any of the points she made and it showed she at least had given some thought into the workings of the Sith Empire, even if it wasn't much more than an outsider's perspective. Perhaps she was privy to seeing how it looked like from the inside.

When Er'in finished with her answer the two would walk through the entrance and outside. There wasn't much Avacyn was able to add in regards to Darth Metus as she had never met him in person, but his public image lined up with what the brunette said about him. Still, he remained a man to be respected for his capabilities and achievements.

"Debates concerning the Sith Code are always interesting," the woman mused as her gaze aimed at the shuttle that awaited them. "Over there," she said before getting back on topic. "For every Sith, there's a different interpretation, even if only slightly different sometimes. I will agree with you though, as far as I am able to with the limited knowledge I have about Darth Metus. He doesn't seem to pay much regard to the Code." The boarding ramp of the shuttle was already lowered as the woman from the holocalls awaited her superior. "I will come back to the topic of the Sith Empire in my quarters," she said to Er'in as she made her way on board.

"Miyavi," Avacyn called out, attaching a name to the woman who had awaited the arrival of Er'in and herself, "I assume our guest can get herself cleaned up while we return?"

"Of course, milady." Miyavi turned towards Er'in and bowed in greeting. "Should I have your current attire washed for immediate use, or will a change of clothes suffice?"

[member="Erin Tenel"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Er’in glanced down at her own clothing and sighed slightly, a side effect of the alchemy was that it took forever to get blood off it. This wasn’t exactly a drawback in a world of automated cleaning, but still...

“A change of clothes would be perfectly sufficient, thank you.”

She replied with a nod, returning her attention to her hostess as they walked up the ramp.

“He does not, he is a person torn between extremes. A Mandalorian shorn from his people, with the spirit of a Sith I’m his soul shaping his mind. I don’t hate him, but I have exhausted what he can teach me without following the path he seeks, which is... not my path.”

She frowns.

“Too many titles, too much hypocrisy. It is unhealthy to lie to yourself.”

[member="Kaalia Pavanos"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

"As you wish." Miyavi bowed her head once again and took off to fetch a change of clothes, leaving just Avacyn and Er'in in the central area of the shuttle. Their conversation then pivoted back to the topic of Darth Metus, of whom Er'in didn't seem to have too many good words left over for. The lack of any personal interaction with the man meant Avacyn did not have any experiences to compare her guest's view to, though there was one comment she could reply to.

"Every master will one day exhaust his teachings for a student," the woman's response sounded. "That is where some Sith look to kill their master and take their place, but ironically that will only come to pass if the master was a good teacher." How that was relevant to what they were talking about was left to Er'in to conclude. "They either leave the student too weak to best them, or they aren't worth the student's time." Her attention was drawn to Miyavi for a moment again as she returned with the clothes, but quickly returned it to her guest. "I somehow doubt it was the former, in your case."

With that she concluded her point and looked towards a door. "You can have some privacy in that room so you can change. We should be arriving shortly, so we can discuss further in my chambers."

[member="Erin Tenel"]